Son of a Dudley
by H.L.B
Summary: Fifteen years after the events of Deathly Hallows Dudley gets a surprise visit about his son, Billy. Too bad Vernon and Petunia are visiting at the time...
1. The Doorbell Rang

INTRODUCTION:

In her Epilogue to "Deathly Hallows" JK Rowling invited us to think to the future… yet left a lot of questions unanswered; although "What happened to Dudley?" isn't one that actually occurred to me, initially.

I'm not even sure how this story DID occur to me. I perhaps it was in wondering if Harry ever got in touch with Dudley again. Maybe it grew from my profound sympathy for all the witches and wizards who had to deal with Vernon during the long months they were in hiding.

However it occurred to me, here it is with thanks to Charles for arguing the plot points with me and HiBob for encouraging me to write…

Fifteen years after the events of "Deathly Hallows" (not counting the Epilogue, natch.)

ONE: THE DOORBELL

"Daddy! Daddy! Someone's at the door!"

"Who's at the door, Daddy?"

Billy looked up from his comic at his younger siblings, "Why are you yelling at Dad? You two go open it if you want to know!"

Dudley paused at the sitting room on his way to the front door, "How about all three of you stop yelling at the top of your lungs, you're all three feet apart! Besides, that's no way to behave in front of your grandparents!"

"Oh, that's all right, dear," Petunia purred, "Grammy doesn't mind if her little popkins are a bit rambunctious!"

This statement was treated to an eye-roll from the eldest, but beams of appreciation from little Elizabeth and Charles.

"That's right! blustered Vernon, "Just shows the boys have healthy lungs, the girl too! Why, I've always said-"

Whatever Grandfather Vernon always said was interrupted by another jangle from the doorbell. Dudley started a bit, having forgotten what started the conversation in the first place.

"Dudley, the door!" came a voice from the kitchen (which, though yelling, didn't approach the volume of the three youngsters) even as he turned to hurry to answer.

"Just a Moment!" Dudley called to the door, more for the benefit of those in the house than for whoever was waiting. He opened it hastily, to find two men of about his age crammed one in front of the other on the small stoop. The one in front was clearly visible as a friendly-faced chap of about his own age whom he did not know. It was hard to tell much about the second aside from the fact it was another fellow.

"May I help you?"

"Hello," the man in front began, "Are you Dudley Dursley?

"Yes. What is this regarding?" he asked warily.

"Mr. Dursley, we need to speak to you about your son, William." the man paused, but Dudley stood frozen. He neither said nor did a thing.

"It's a conversation best held in private, I think" the man continued, then paused again.

"May we come in?" he asked, more pointedly.

The sharper tone seemed to bring Dudley back to himself. He glanced back up the hall toward the noisy sitting room then back at the gentlemen on his doorstep.

"Yes," he replied in a sotto voice, "do step into the hall."

Dudley stepped back, again glancing up the hall toward the sitting room. He glanced back at the two gentlemen. The first was extending his hand toward Dudley as the second closed the door.

"I am Professor Neville Longbottom," the first said as the second turned back from the door, "And this, as you may know, is Mr-"

"HARRY POTTER! Finally! At this exclamation was followed close on by another of

"WHAT?" from the sitting room after which all noise from that room ceased and Dudley once again glanced up the hall, apprehension clearly etched on his features.

"Dudley," Harry smiled, "I thought you'd remember me, but I wasn't quite sure. How have you-?"

Before he could finish, several voices spoke all at once.

"Dear who is it?"

"Who's Harry Potter, Grammy?"

"Let's see!"

"No, poppets, wait!"

"POTTER HERE? WHY I'LL..."

A purple-faced Vernon emerged from the sitting room at the same time a plump younger woman did from the kitchen. Her smile of welcome faded, however, as her father-in-law began to sputter.

"POTTER! IT **IS** YOU! I thought we were rid of you fifteen years ago, you miserable ingrate! I told you to stay away from my family I did! After all we went through because of you! No, it won't happen again! I won't have you back in our lives, I say! I don't care why you're here boy, if you-"

"DAD!" Dudley interjected, stemming the tide. "Enough."

"But this, this... Why is he here, boy? I ask you that, why?" Vernon yelled back.

"I don't know. I thought he might be about to tell me when you started shouting," Dudley replied tensely.

"Disrespect! He breeds it around him, I say!"

"Dad," Dudley said again with a note of warning. Vernon opened his mouth than shut it glaring at Harry, Dudley, and even Neville in turn. When he was sure his father had subsided for the moment, Dudley turned back to his guests.

"Sorry," Harry said immediately, "We had no idea that you already had, er… guests."

"Yes," interjected Neville, "Perhaps we should return at a better time - later this week perhaps?"

"Are you off your nut?" Dudley asked, "I've been waiting for you to come for ages... years really, especially since... well, that is to say... No, don't go. I'm sorry, Professor, is it? I'm sorry about my father, please don't go."

Harry regarded his cousin with a shrewd look, "You know why we're here, don't you?"

"Yes, as I say, I've been expecting you and, frankly I'm-"

"Expecting him? Expecting him?" Vernon spluttered, as anxious eyes appeared around the sitting room doorjamb. "You mean to tell me you invited this... THIS... to be around MY grandchildren?"

Dudley closed his eyes and balled his fists with the air of one whose patience was at an ebb. His wife moved forward with a knowing look to put a soothing hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe," she said softly, "whatever's going on is a bit much to deal with while your parents are here. Didn't these men offer to come back?"

Dudley took a deep breath and turned slightly to face his wife.

"No, Sarah, this is too important and I've waited a long time, wondered a long time... I need answers and so do you. We'll have to tell them eventually, so..."

"Tell them what?" she asked, still whispering, though her tone had grown anxious.

"Well for one," Dudley replied, "Why William isn't going to Smeltings." ---


	2. They Don't Pay Neville Enough

TWO: THEY DON'T PAY NEVILLE ENOUGH

"Lee, we've discussed this," Sarah whispered back to Dudley pointedly, "remember we spoke about having that conversation at the proper time?

"I know, but this goes way beyond his not going to Smeltings," Dudley explained softly, "It has to do with where he IS going."

"But we haven't decided-" Sarah began, only to be interrupted by an incandescently purple Vernon.

"Am I to understand," he snarled, spittle flying out from beneath his graying mustache, "That you do not intend to send my eldest grandson to Smeltings Academy?"

"Really!" Neville interrupted, stepping back toward the door so smartly he trod on Harry's foot, "It seems you have private family matters to discuss. We can come back at a more appropriate time."

"Appropriate?" roared Vernon, turning on the stranger, "It will never be appropriate for MY grandchildren to be exposed to YOUR lot, so you can take the Potter boy and-"

"DAD!" roared Dudley, stepping away from Sarah as color rose in his own face, "First off, before they are your grandchildren they are MY children and what I don't care for them to be exposed to is all this… your…" He made an inarticulate noise of angry frustration, clenched and unclenched his fists and settled for, "Dad... Be... Quiet."

"Be quiet?" Vernon roared back "How dare you? Why I've half a mind- if I didn't know it was the fault of that Potter boy I'd-"

"You'd what?" Dudley challenged, straightening up to his full height and taking a single step toward Vernon, "Dad, you are my father and you always will be, but I am a grown man and this is my home, not yours."

Vernon looked up into his angry son's face and made a garbled noise that only bore little resemblance to audible speech before his mouth simply dropped open and stayed that way.

"Dudley!" Petunia had crept into the hallway and was staring at her son in shock.

"Mum, I love you, too," Dudley said quietly, "But, we've talked about this. My children come first, and you and Dad have no idea what we're dealing with."

Color flooded Petunia's cheeks. "Don't I?" she whispered looking swiftly at Vernon, then the floor.

"Mum?"

Petunia raised her eyes to look at her son. "It isn't the first time I've seen it," she said softly, almost fearfully, "not even the second."

Sarah looked around her crowded front hallway and tried to make sense of what was going on. Her Mother-in-Law stood against the wall hunched into herself while her husband and father-in-law both gaped at her, a vein the latter's temple throbbing so hard it seemed his whole forehead was pulsing. Beyond them, by the door, two strangers stood one looking embarrassed, the other grim.

Her eyes traveled back to Petunia, then beyond her into the sitting room. All three of her children were listening avidly to the conversation, the younger two with eyes like saucers. Both were clinging to Billy, clearly frightened.

"That tears it," she stated firmly, "I don't know what any of you are shouting about, but I do know you're frightening the children and I won't have it. I won't have it Father Dursley. I simply won't."

Vernon tore his gaze from his wife to glare at his daughter-in-law. He closed and re-opened his mouth as if to say something. A harder glint came into the gaze of steel with which Sarah was favoring him and he shut it again.

"I apologize to you gentlemen," she continued, turning her formidable glance to Harry and Neville, "clearly my family is having some issues. Perhaps it would be better if you did return another time."

"No." Petunia said at the same time Dudley did.

Dudley and Vernon looked gobsmacked at this (but clearly for different reasons).

"Mum?"

"Best to get it over with," Petunia whispered, turned on her heel, and walked back into the sitting room.

"Dudley-" Sarah began.

"Sarah, we need them… there's a lot to explain, a lot to ask them. It's time to do it now. No shouting," he added at her warning look.

"Fine," she said grudgingly, "I'll send the children up, then, shall I?"

"Charles and Bess," Dudley agreed, "Not Billy. This concerns him and, believe me, he'll have questions." With a look of sudden inspiration Dudley turned to his father, "Dad, would you mind taking Charlie and Bess up to the nursery?"

"I will not," Vernon began loudly, but was stopped cold by a look from Sarah. He took a grudging breath and began again at a barely controlled lower volume, "I do not intend to be sent upstairs like a naughty child. I will be a part of this conversation, Dudley."

Dudley considered his father for a moment, then sighed, "Only if there is no shouting Dad." He held up a hand to his father's affronted expression, "I'm serious, Dad."

"Vernon," Petunia said quietly from the sitting room, "Come in and sit down. I'll take the children up." With that she gently detached her younger grandchildren from the eldest and led them past the adults still assembled in the hall and up the stairs.

As Petunia, Charles and Elizabeth's feet disappeared up the stairs, Vernon looked from Harry and Neville to Dudley and Sarah, his jaw set. Finally he made a disgusted chuffing noise, stomped into the sitting room, and dropped into an easy chair by the fire.

Sarah looked at Dudley with a mixture of pride and concern. She leaned in close to whisper something in his ear and gave him a light kiss on the cheek as she pulled back.

"Thanks," he grinned back.

Harry cleared his throat, "Uhm, Dudley?"

"Yeah?"

"Is that really you?"

"Oh, I dunno," Dudley said smirking, "Maybe the Dementors did suck out my old personality and replace it with a new one."

Harry looked surprised, amused, and embarrassed at the same time. "Er, I guess that wasn't the nicest thing to say. At the time, I guess-"

"It's fine, Harry," Dudley assured him with a wry smile. "You may have been right."

"Dudley, dementors don't really do personality transplants."

"No. But fifteen years is a long time. I don't know about you, but a lot has changed with me."

"Uhm," a voice sounded from the sitting room, "Is someone going to come in here and tell me what's going on or should I just sit here and watch Grandad's blood pressure go up?"


	3. Vernon's Worst Nightmare

THREE: VERNON'S WORST NIGHTMARE

"Okay, Bill, have a seat" Dudley said, pointing to the easy chair that sat on the other side of the fire from the one Vernon occupied. "Harry, Professor, please."

Moments later Harry and Neville were sitting on one couch with Dudley and Sarah on the one opposite. Dudley had taken the one nearest Vernon whose temple was still pulsing ominously but whose mouth was not only closed, but also now so tight it had practically disappeared under his walrus-like mustache.

"I don't really know how to start this," Dudley admitted, "What do you usually say?"

"Well," Neville began, with a quick nervous glance in Vernon's direction, "I usually begin by introducing myself." He looked at Sarah, then Billy, "I'm Professor Neville Longbottom."

"Sarah Collins Dursley," she replied automatically, "And this is my eldest son, William."

The aforementioned boy wrinkled up his face and said, "'Billy', Mum!"

A smile crooked the corner of Sarah's mouth. "Pardon me, my son _Billy_."

"Pleased to meet you both," Neville smiled back, "And you Mr. Dursley and Mr. Dursley."

"Dudley." Dudley replied. Vernon simply narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

"Well, I take it that Dudley and Mr. Dursley already know my friend Harry Potter but that you, Mrs. Dursley ("Sarah" she interjected) do not."

Both Sarah and Billy shook their heads.

"Dad, who is he?" Billy asked

"Harry Potter?"

"Yes. You and Grandad know him but I've never heard of him."

Dudley glanced at his father and sighed. "Harry is my cousin, on your Grandmum's side. He was raised with me by Granddad and Gran."

Billy's eyes widened and he turned back to make a fresh appraisal of the stranger seated on the couch next to his chair. But it was his mother who spoke.

"Raised with you? But Lee you never said, never mentioned-"

"No, well, he's not exactly in our lives, is he?" Dudley said in a flat voice. "Besides, talking about Harry would mean-" Dudley faltered.

"I know you're not exactly fond of talking about your childhood," Sarah said with a quick, awkward, glance in Vernon's direction, "but to leave out someone who was… well if he was raised with you he was like a step-brother wasn't he?"

"Listen," Harry began, "It's complicated and I for one don't blame Dudley-"

"No." Dudley cut across Harry, "he wasn't and I'm not proud of that, Harry."

Silence fell as Dudley and Harry looked at one another, both at a loss for words.

"Uhm," said Billy uncertainly, "So he was raised with Dad. If he came to talk about it why is the Professor with him? Is he like a shrink professor or something?"

Vernon half-rose at his chair at the suggestion he might be in the presence of a psychiatric professional, but Neville clearly did not understand Billy's remark.

"Oh, I'm not a charms professor, though I can certainly shrink objects. I just don't do it often."

Harry let out a chuckle and Dudley grinned for possibly the first time since the doorbell had rung.

"Doesn't get it, does he?" Dudley grinned.

"Uhm.. no," Harry replied, "Neville, perhaps you'd better back up and leave me out of it. Dudley and Uncle Vernon know about our world, but Billy and his Mum don't. Just start where you would with any muggle family and we'll see how it goes."

"Muggle?" Sarah said, frowning.

Neville looked at Billy and had another go.

"Billy, have you ever noticed strange things sometimes happen around you? Things you can't explain? Maybe when you're upset or scared?"

Billy suddenly looked wary and bit his lip. "Like, like what things?" he asked.

"Well," Harry said, "Once when I was living with your Grandmum she got tired of trying to get my hair to behave and she cut it all off. I was so upset about having to go to school the next day looking like that. But guess what? When I woke up in the morning it had all grown back."

"Wow," Billy breathed.

"Had anything like that ever happened to you?" Neville asked, smiling.

Vernon's chair creaked as he leaned forward, gripping the arms so hard, his knuckles were white. Billy looked fearfully at his Grandfather and uncertainly at his parents as he began to nervously chew on his lip.

"Billy?" Dudley asked gently.

Still Billy said nothing. Then everyone was startled by Petunia's voice from the doorway, "It's all right Billykins," she said, "It's time to tell them."


	4. It Takes A Village?

FOUR: IT TAKES A VILLAGE?

"Tell us what?" Vernon ground out.

Billy took one wide-eyed look at his grandfather and simply backed up as far as he possibly could into his chair with his mouth sealed. Dudley turned to his father clearly preparing to say something but Sarah stood, positively glaring at her father-in-law.

"Billy," she said, "Come here, dear." Her son obliged with a wary look at his Grandfather. Sarah crouched down so she could be at eye level with her son, one hand on each shoulder. "Whatever it is, you can tell me, Sweetheart." Billy's head turned, almost involuntarily toward his purple-faced grandsire. "Billy, it doesn't matter if your Grandfather likes it or not. I will still love you and care for you no matter what. And," She continued with a look of steel at Vernon, "If your Grandfather makes a fuss or starts shouting he will simply have to leave. Period. Now, come sit between your father and I. Petunia," she said, turning toward the doorway, "why don't you take Billy's chair by the fire?"

Vernon had begun to sputter softly and his family had barely re-seated themselves before he began in a barely controlled voice,

"Let me get this straight, you're threatening to put me out of this house?"

"Yes she is, Dad. And so am I."

"How dare you? What sort of disrespectful son are you? Why after all I've done for you, boy-"

"All you've done? All you've done, indeed! Let's talk about all you've done, shall we? You made me a party to sixteen years of abuse and neglect of another human being. You taught me it was my God-given right to be a spoiled arse. You taught me to be intolerant. You taught me that other people didn't matter, you taught me to be an ignorant bully, you taught-"

"Dudley!" cried Petunia with a note of desperation in her voice, "Please, now is not the time!"

"Now is exactly the time, Mum, because I will not have my children taught those things. I won't! I'm raising them to be members of the human race, I am!"

Vernon was clearly speechless, perhaps for the first time in his life. Neville looked distinctly uncomfortable and even Sarah's mouth had formed a small "o."

"Maybe," she said softly, unconsciously rubbing her son's back, "you are being a tiny bit harsh, Lee"

Dudley stood up and grabbed his hair in a move that was eerily reminiscent of his father's hair-pulling incidents when Harry was a member of the household.

"Sarah you know, you know better than anyone," He said in a choked voice, "You know what I was like and you know how hard it was… how painful." He turned toward his parents, "And for what? Why? What the hell was the point of raising me to be the biggest bullying git on the planet?" With these words he spun back around and dropped back down on the couch dropping his head into his hands.

"Maybe," Harry offered, "They didn't know any better."

Vernon, who had been staring, pale-faced, at his Son with a mixture of pure confusion and revulsion jumped at these words. Apparently, he had forgotten Harry and Neville were in the room. The color instantly flooded back into his face.

"Son," he spat out with a resentful look at Harry and Neville, "must we do this with THEM here?"

Dudley looked up his gaze moving from his father, to Harry, to his mother who was clearly miserable. "Yeah," he said in a tired voice, "We do. Harry has everything to do with what happened before and what's happening now."

"Son," Vernon said again in what he clearly thought were soothing tones but which came across as patronizing, "I think you're a bit overtired, you don't know what you're saying. If you want to talk to, to… THEM, perhaps tomorrow after a rest, eh?"

"No, Dad, we're doing this now and Sarah is right. You can stay and be quiet or you can go."

"Why, I never!" Vernon spluttered with rapidly escalating volume, "I will not stand for this- I'll-"

"VERNON!"

Petunia had risen from her chair an unfamiliar look of stern determination on her face.

"Vernon, dear," she started again, in a more soothing tone, "Even if Dudders is out of his mind-"

"I'm not." Dudley interjected, but Petunia soldiered on as if he hadn't spoken.

"Even so, I think the best course is to do what he asks." Then, in a more conciliatory tone, "We can sort the rest out later."

Vernon appeared caught in indecision for a moment, nothing moving save the vein in his temple and his mouth which opened and closed a few times. Finally, he spoke.

"Fine," he said testily, "Fine. We'll hear what THEY have to say and then they can LEAVE." With that, Vernon sat back, his eyes narrowed resentfully, his arms crossed over his chest, and –most importantly- his mouth shut in a thin line. Sarah frowned in his direction for a moment, opened her mouth, shut it, and pulled her son a little closer.

Dudley, who had been looking at his father with his jaw jutted out, turned his gaze to his son.

"Billy, your mother is right. Nothing will make us stop loving you. But, here's the thing Bill-o-boy, the kind of things the professor is asking about aren't wrong or bad, anyway."

"Then how come Mr. Potter did them and he's not even in the family any more?"

"Well I didn't want him 'out of the family,'" Dudley began.

"But his IS." Billy countered.

"Well, that happened because your Granddad and Grandmum didn't understand the things he can do aren't wrong. Sometimes…" Dudley paused and heaved a sigh, "Sometimes people don't understand that what they think about other people is unfair or wrong ..and they treat those people badly because of it."

Billy studied his father for a moment then asked, "You mean, like apartheid or colonialism?"

Dudley looked a bit surprised at how well his son must have been paying attention in school. Harry raised an eyebrow, considering this new angle while Vernon simply ground his teeth.

"Yes. Exactly. The white establishment mistreated native peoples because they didn't understand them." Dudley affirmed.

Sarah wore a dubious expression that seemed to imply there was a bit more to it than that, but she kept her own council on the topic.

"Anyway, you're not being chucked out of the family because you've got some unusual talents. No way, mate!"

"Uhm," Sarah chimed in, "What sort of 'unusual talents' are we talking about?"

Dudley and Neville looked at one another each trying to gauge if the other wanted or ought to be the one to speak. It was Petunia who broke the impasse.

"M-Magic," she said quietly, not looking at her husband, "Billy can do magic."

"Well good for him," said Sarah, "So he can do a few tricks. Most kids learn some along the way. That can't possibly be what all this fuss is about!" She looked at her husband but he appeared to have been rendered speechless by his mother's last statement. She turned, instead, to look at Petunia.

"Not tricks," Petunia explained haltingly, still not looking at her husband, "Magic. He… he's… Billyisawizard."

Only then did she dare to look at her husband who was puffing out so much with indignation that for a moment Harry and Dudley both thought he might be inflating like Dudley's Aunt Marge had so many years before. Fortunately, Vernon was only able to puff out so far before he seemed to master himself. Suddenly he was breathing very deeply and loudly. Before he could speak, Billy did.

"I'm what, Gran?"


	5. That Runs In The Family, Too

Authors Note: Profound thanks to all those who have reviewed, I can't say how much that means to me. For the record, I finished this story before I started posting so, though your suggestions are well taken, they aren't incorporated.

This is the final chapter of the story, but I have written an "Epilogue" that explains how I imagined the Dursleys got to where we find them in this particular story and imparts a wee bit of information about the future.

Thanks, again.

Happy reading! -HLB

FIVE: THAT RUNS IN THE FAMILY, TOO… APPARENTLY.

Petunia looked at her grandson with tearful eyes but seemed unable to reply. Neville stepped in.

"You, Billy, are a wizard."

"Like Merlin, and Gandalf, you mean?" Billy asked, his voice clearly skeptical.

"Yes, like them. Real magic is a bit different than what you've read about Gandalf, for instance, but yes."

"But those are just stories!" Billy protested.

"Well," Neville chuckled, "A lot of stories were inspired by true things. Besides I'll bet the things you can do aren't just stories, eh?"

"Gran said they were just coincidences,"

"Gran said…" Dudley said looking at his mother.

"I'm sorry," Sarah spoke up, "You all have got to be joking. This is… fairy tales!"

"Oh, I assure you, it's quite real," Harry said gently, "You heard it from Aunt Petunia and you may not have noticed that Uncle Vernon hasn't contradicted her. Do you know any two people who are less likely to believe in something like magic if it isn't real?"

"So that stuff I've done… I mean… it was really me?" Billy said, leaning forward in excitement.

"Yup," Harry said, grinning.

"What things?" asked Sarah

"Well," Billy said, his excitement clearly rising, "the first time I knew it might have been me was when Bessie tried to help Gran with hot chocolate, gosh, ages ago. Anyway, she tried to reach up and lift the pan but she's way to short so when she managed to grab the handle she didn't lift it, she started to pull it off the stove on herself."

Sarah's hand flew involuntarily toward her mouth.

"I yelled 'Stop!' and the pan and the chocolate that was spilling over just kind of… sort of froze in midair like special effects in the movies. Then Gran ran over and grabbed it and said it must have been my imagination.

And one time Charlie was trying to pull my cricket bat away from me and he yelled and dropped it and said it got really hot, but it never felt hot to me. Gran said he must have been gripping it really tight and pulled his hand down and got a burn sort of like a rug-burn." William explained excitedly.

"Well, it could have been," Sarah said faintly.

"I doubt it," Dudley said, turning toward his wife and taking a deep breath. "Sarah, magic is real and, apparently it runs in the family. I've seen a few things, too, and suspected that is what it meant, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions. That's why I've been wishing I could talk to Harry for ages. I knew he'd be able to tell me for sure."

"So Mr. Potter is a wizard, too, then, huh?" Billy asked with the air of one who already knew the answer.

"Yup, I am." Harry said, still smiling. "Allow me to demonstrate." He pulled out his wand, which elicited a gasp from Petunia and a growling noise from Vernon. Harry turned both his gaze and his wand in Vernon's direction, and no further noise was heard. Harry then turned back toward Neville, raised his wand, and called out, "Accio Hogwarts Letter!"

A thick parchment envelope flew from the inside of Neville's robes and into Harry's hand. "This," He said extending it to Billy, "Belongs to you."

Billy took the letter eagerly and opened it, his eyes flying over the text of the enclosed letter while his mother and father read over his shoulder.

"There's a school where they teach magic? Are there other people like me there? Mum, Dad, can I go?"

Sarah still looked uncertain and confused.

"Hang on," she said "you come here and tell me magic is real and my son is a wizard and now you want to take him away to some school I've never heard of? I don't know about this, Lee, I really don't. I mean, if magic is real, why don't we see people doing it all the time?"

"Because," answered Neville, clearly used to the question, "It is against wizard law to do magic in front of most muggles. There is an international statute of secrecy that bids all magical persons from revealing the existence of the magical world to non-magical persons. One of the exceptions is people, like you, who are not magical but have close magical relatives.

"I assure you," he continued, taking out his wand with half a glance toward Vernon, "magic is real." He pointed his wand at the coffee table which proceeded to rise until it was above their heads. With a flick of his wand he made it turn 360 degrees in the air before lowering it to the floor again. He then reached out and removed a pencil from the table and snapped it in half. "Reparo" he said, and the pencil immediately mended itself.

"Cool!" breathed Billy, "Mum, you've got to let me go to that school!"

"Hogwarts," continued Neville, "Has been educating young witches and wizards for over a thousand years. It is the best place for Billy to learn how to control and use his magical abilities. It is also a place where he will be surrounded by young men and women like himself. Instead of being an oddity, magical ability is the norm at Hogwarts."

"I went there, "offered Harry, "And I'm not too much the worse for wear."

Sarah frowned in confusion at this fact.

"You mean to tell me they," she indicated the elder Dursleys, "actually sent you to a school for magic?"

"Well, they didn't have too much choice in the matter. I wanted to go and there were a lot of people at Hogwarts who realized that my best interests lay there and not in Little Whinging. Besides they didn't have to pay for it and, since I only came home in summer, they got rid of me for most of the year that way. They just told the neighbors I went to St. Brutus' Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys."

"Only came home in summer…" Sarah repeated, diverted from the oddity of her in-laws sending someone to Hogwarts, "So it is a boarding school, then?"

"Mum! You were going to send me to board, anyway!"

"Oh sweetheart, you know I'm going to have a hard time having you away, no matter where you go. But," she said, looking at Dudley, "it will be a lot harder to send you off to stay when the school is so… well… unusual."

"Quite right!" Vernon chimed in suddenly, "Do you really want to send him hundreds of miles away to live among mutants at some freak school you've never heard of? Preposterous madness! Billy will be much better off among normal boys in a normal school."

"But I'm not normal, Grandad, am I? I can do magic so you think I'm… I… I'm a freak" Billy said softly

At these words, Sarah favored her father-in-law with a truly frightening glare and gathered her son to her in a fierce embrace.

"Don't you listen to that rubbish, Billy! You're more than normal. You've got an extraordinary talent that makes you special!"

"And in the magical world," Neville added quietly, "no wizard is faulted for having magic. It is the norm."

"No!" Vernon said, unable to control himself. Suddenly, he was on his feet pacing slapping his fist into the opposite palm. "No! Now that we know about the boy's …affliction, we can act. We must send him to Smeltings! Yes! Dudley, we must make sure the boy does no more of that… that… stuff!"

"That 'stuff' is part of who he is and there is nothing wrong with it!" Harry said unconsciously clenching his fists.

"Oh ho! You think so, do you? You'd be happy if my grandson was an abnormal freak like you and your friends wouldn't you?"

"Wizards and witches aren't freaks," Harry said rising quietly.

"Freaks and unnatural weirdoes, the lot of you!" Vernon yelled, "I won't have my grandson among you. We'll teach him to conceal his …abnormality. We will! And if that doesn't work well, we'll-"

"Try to squash it out of him like you did me?" Harry asked, his voice quiet and dangerous.

"We weren't nearly tough enough on you, boy! We were frightened by those other freaks, but not this time, no…. We'll stand our ground, we'll nip it in the bud!"

"How? Will you lock him in a cupboard and starve him, too?"

"We'll do what is necessary!" Vernon shouted

Dudley was on his feet now, moving toward his father.

"WE?? WE?? You're forgetting just who Billy's father is, Dad. WE will do no such thing! My son is going to Hogwarts!"

"Over my dead body!" Vernon yelled

"Dad I want you out of this house now! Out and gone!"

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me, OUT!" Dudley bellowed stepping up to Vernon, himself swelling with rage.

Vernon glared for a moment at his son, full of rage and at least a head taller than himself, then seemed to make a decision.

"FINE!" he roared, "But you haven't heard the last of this! Petunia, we're going!"

Petunia had risen to her feet, along with Neville, as the conflict escalated, her hand to her mouth. But, as both her husband and son swung to look at her, she did something unusual and, for her, very brave. She lowered her arms, reached back to grip the arms of the chair, and slowly lowered herself into it.

"PETUNIA!" roared Vernon.

"No," she said softly, almost tentatively as she stared at her lap. "Vernon, I knew you would react like this. That is why I never said anything about the…the magic." She looked up at her Son, "I knew it was magic when I saw it, Dudley. I'd seen it in my sister and in H-Harry. I knew Billy couldn't help it-"

"You did?" interrupted Harry, incredulous, "but if you knew it can't be helped, then why did you-"

"I convinced myself _you_ could help it," Petunia replied, gazing at her lap again, "But after- after everything and seeing it again… I thought about what Vernon would do and say. I knew… I just knew he'd insist we try to get rid of it." A tear slid slowly from Petunia's eye, but she made no move to wipe it away.

"I didn't know if you'd agree, Dudley. But, what if you did? That's when I had to admit to myself that I knew it wouldn't work. And then what?"

"Mum," Dudley said softly, "after what we've talked about you had to know I wouldn't do that."

Petunia gulped and nodded.

"ENOUGH!" bellowed Vernon, spit flying, nearly mad with impotent rage, "Petunia, you're coming with me now. We'll discuss this in the car!" He made to shove by his son, his hand out to grab his wife by the arm. Harry and Neville both raised their wands, but it was unnecessary. Vernon had suddenly stopped on the spot seemingly unable to speak or move. Then, slowly, unmistakably, he began to swell.

Everyone stared for a moment as Vernon inflated swiftly and steadily, beginning to resemble a life-sized beach ball, his clothing stretching, buttons popping.

"Oh no," breathed Petunia, finally looking at her husband, then at Harry.

"It's not me!" Harry insisted

"No, I don't think it is" said Neville before he was forced to duck out of the way of a shooting sweater button. "I think Billy's doing it without meaning to!"

"Oh no!" wailed Billy, "Professor, I didn't mean to! I didn't! Professor, please make it stop!"

"I'm not sure I know how without doing more harm." admitted Neville, "Just keep him contained in the house and I'd contact the Ministry of Magic at once."

"No, Neville, you don't have to." Harry said. "I looked this one up a long time ago." Harry then turned to Vernon who was now very round and rising toward the ceiling. He watched his uncle for a moment as he made contact with the ceiling and bounced off.

"Harry!" Neville said.

"Hang on," Harry said, walking briskly toward the French doors to the sitting room and pulled them shut. "There. Now he's not going anywhere. He's not in any immediate danger," Harry assured the wide-eye group in the room, "I don't imagine it's all that pleasant, but it won't hurt him," he said again, this time to Billy.

Vernon's swelling, meanwhile, seemed to have slowed, perhaps stopped, as he was propelled around the top of the room, bouncing gently against the ceiling.

"It would have been unethical for Neville or me to put Vernon in the position where he has to listen to reason. But, Billy's accident seems to have done that for us," Harry explained.

Neville raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Uncle Vernon, if frightening your grandchildren out of their wits doesn't make an impression on you, I'm not sure you're capable of understanding how awful your behavior is. So I'm not going to try and explain it to you. Here's the thing, though. Your son doesn't agree with you and you can't bully him. And I don't think you want to make Aunt Petunia choose between you and your grandchildren, 'cause I don't think you'd like the choice she'll make."

At this, Petunia dropped her gaze from her husband to her lap.

"Plus there's your daughter-in-law. She seems nice to me, but I'll wager she'd sooner rip your guts out with her bare hands than let you scream at her children any more. So you can shut it and keep it shut or you can leave and stay away until you can. It's your choice.

"So, I guess we're asking you if you're willing to stop screaming and get with the program. If you are, just wave your right hand, Uncle Vernon."

There was some sputtering and a fine mist of spittle from the bouncing Vernon, but neither hand so much as twitched.

"Alright, then," Harry said, walking over and opening the sitting room doors again, "We'll just bounce you outside, shall we? Professor Longbottom will call the Ministry of Magic after you're outside. The Accidental Magic Reversal Squad will catch up with you eventually; sooner rather than later if it's not too breezy a day." Harry then made to walk toward the front door.

There was more spluttering and a noise resembling "Gahh!" Harry turned with a smile to see Vernon's hand wiggling madly from the wrist.

"Good," Harry said to his uncle. To Neville he noted, "Fortunately, This one's actually quite simple. Lapsus Finite!"

Sure enough, Vernon began to shrink and, as he did, he lost altitude.

"Nice of you to do it gradually," Neville said to Harry.

"Well," He replied grinning, "I'm not a complete git."

They all watched quietly as Vernon sank. When he was low enough for Harry and Neville to catch hold of, they grabbed his feet, lowering his still-rounded form to the couch. Neville held him there while Harry pointed his wand, again, and said "Finite!"

Vernon made a sound like a whoopee cushion and was suddenly his normal size, albeit in rather stretched out, saggy clothes. He sat there, breathing hard, for a moment, while everyone held perfectly still, waiting to see his reaction.

"Why…" he began, coughing, "Why… why you-" he continued, reddening and building volume. Dudley shook his head and dropped down to sit beside his wife and son, looking painfully resigned as he stared pointedly at the carpet instead of his father. Harry simply stepped purposefully over to Vernon, pressing his wand into Vernon's chest.

"Uncle Vernon," he said, pleasantly, "I'm assuming you couldn't understand me very well while you were bouncing along up on the ceiling, so let me say it again - as plainly as I can. As far as the people in this house go, your bullying days are over. I personally promise you that I will do whatever I can to keep you from bullying your family. I'm a full grown wizard, now, who can do magic whenever he pleases …and I will. Do you understand?"

Vernon's voice was choked, but he still managed a resentful "Y-yes."

"Thank you." Harry said pulling his wand away from Vernon's chest. Just before walking away, he waved it at Vernon's abused clothes and said "Reparo."

"Is everyone alright?" Neville asked as Harry turned his back and went to stand at the window.

Dudley, who looked pleasantly surprised and bit befuddled said, "Yeah, I think so. Billy? Sarah?"

"Well," Sarah said, smoothing her son's hair, "It's a bit much to take in but I think we can come to accept this." Then, barely audibly, "It certainly seems to have its benefits." Dudley's mouth curled a bit, but he made no other sign he might have heard her.

"Whoa," Billy intoned, "That was intense. Will I learn how to do that sort of thing?"

"Uhm," Neville said, stalling to marshal an appropriate reply.

"Not exactly," said Harry, turning back and walking over. "They won't teach you how to blow people up at Hogwarts. They certainly don't teach you to threaten people with magic. I don't like… Billy it's not a good thing to… it's just that…"

Billy leaned in and spoke softly, "Granddad's a special case?"

"Very special." Harry agreed.

"You know," Petunia said, rising, "It's been a long, trying day. Perhaps it's time for Vernon and I to set off home, eh?"

"Er… yes." Vernon said, not meeting anyone's eye as he allowed his wife to help him up and usher him out of the room. He paused at the door and said, without looking back, "Goodbye then."

Dudley rose and followed them quickly, placing a gentle hand on his mother's arm.  
"Mum, will you be alright?"

"Why of course, Diddykins!" She said brightly, "Your father has just had a long day, so we'll trust you to say goodbye to all our little popkins, shall we?"

Vernon grunted and pulled away from Petunia making for the door.

"Right, dear," Petunia continued with forced cheerfulness, "You go on ahead to the car, I'll get my things and be along in a minute!"

As the door closed, Dudley moved to look his mother in the face.

"Is this how we're playing it, then, Mum?"

"Yes dear," she said, smiling, "If it never happened your father certainly can't object, now can he?" With that, and a bright smile, she removed her purse from the coat closet and gave her son a peck on the cheek.

"Billy!" she called out, crouching down and opening her arms to receive a hug from her grandson as he emerged from the sitting room. As she embraced him, she whispered something to Billy that sounded, to Dudley, like "well done" though he couldn't quite hear.

"Thanks Mum, I-" he began, but she was gone, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"Well," said Neville, emerging into the hallway on Sarah's heels, "That certainly went well! Are you always this much trouble, Harry?"

"You were at school with me, so you be the judge." Harry said, smiling.

"So what _is _Hogwarts like?" Billy asked eagerly, "I mean, what kind of classes do we take? Where is it? How do I get there? Where do I get a wand? What-"

"Whoa, one question at a time, Mr. Dursley," Neville answered in a rather professorial tone. "I know you have a lot of questions, and I'm happy to answer them. But I see it's dinner hour and I think Harry and I should go and come back another time."

Billy whirled toward his mother, "Mum! Please!"

"Of course we'd like you both to stay to dinner, if you would." She said, resting a hand on her son's shoulder

"We really don't want to impose," Harry interjected, earnestly, taking a step back toward the door, "We've already been quite a lot of trouble…"

"No," Sarah said, meaningfully, "You've done us a favor. And you'd be doing me another by staying. I have a fair few questions of my own about this magical business. Although…" Sarah paused looking up toward the nursery, "I haven't really thought about how we're going to explain this to Charlie and Bess…"

Neville and Billy both opened their mouths, but it was Billy who spoke first.

"Mum, don't be silly! They'll be going to Hogwarts, too, one day!"

"Not necessarily, dear," Sarah began gently.

"Uhm, As it happens…" Neville started.

Dudley and Sarah both looked at him, wide-eyed, and Harry laughed.

THE END


	6. Epilogueish

4

EPILOGUE-LIKE STUFF: explaining this alternate universe…

Okay, first off, both Charlie and Bess do go to Hogwarts. All three Dursley children eventually marry other magical persons and settle in the magical community. While at school Billy wound in up Ravenclaw, Bess in Hufflepuff, and – to Harry's amusement, only Charles wound up in Gryffindor (though, as in Harry's case, the hat apparently considered Slytherin, but only briefly.) The Dursley children are very friendly with their Potter cousins, but had close friends of their own while at Hogwarts.

In my alternate universe, you didn't see the Dursleys in the Epilogue of "Deathly Hallows" because, the year he sent his second son, Albus, to Hogwarts for the first time, Harry was running late and didn't have much time to deal with anything but his children's concerns before the train left. After the express chugged out, Harry and Dudley spotted each other and commiserated, as Dudley also had a youngest child pouting at being left behind (Bess is a "year and a quarter" younger than Charles, so Dudley's pain was shorter-lived than Harry's)

But the bigger questions you might have are "If the Dementors didn't give Dudley a personality transplant, who did?" and "How did Petunia grow a backbone that late in life?" The answers are related.

As we saw at the end of "Deathly Hallows," Dudley experienced a change of heart toward Harry the summer before Harry's 5th year at Hogwarts when Harry saved him from the Dementors and carried him home. His changed view of Harry and Harry's relative worth as a human being (let alone the relative worth of the "abnormality" of magic) was the first domino to fall in a series of often uncomfortable personal revelations.

If Harry wasn't a "waste of space," then was it right to treat him the way his family had? If Harry wasn't a "waste of space" who else wasn't? Was it right to treat anyone that way? Even if magic was "abnormal" why would his mother (for all he knew or understood) have shut-out her own sister – her only remaining living relative aside from Harry?

Dudley reached no firm conclusions, though these uncomfortable thoughts were leading to small changes in his behavior. Then, in spite of how hatefully the Dursleys continued to treat Harry, he still worked hard to persuade them to flee to safety. Dudley was impressed with Harry, in spite of himself. On the other hand, Vernon's determination to remain blind, in spite of the very real threat to his family's lives, gave Dudley further distressing insight into the "Dursley World View" he was coming to question. These uncomfortable insights were strengthened by how poorly his father treated the witch and wizard who were sent to help and protect them.

Uncomfortable with his altered view of his parents, particularly his father, Dudley tried to limit the time he spent with them during the time they were in hiding. Instead, he got to know the witch and wizard who took turns checking in on them daily. He also learned a lot from the Squib who came to tutor him so he could take his A-Levels.

Vernon remained as determined as ever to see the world the way he wanted to see it. He, therefore, didn't really notice much of a change in Dudley. After all, he was used to his son NOT being around most of the year while he was away at school, and Dudley had never spent much time interacting with his parents while on school holiday. So, as long as Dudley ate most evening meals with his parents, Vernon remained happily oblivious.

Petunia, however, was a different story. Her commitment to the Dursley World View was stronger and longer-standing than Dudley's. It was also fueled by bitter disappointment and fear. Still, the last several years had shown there were a few fault lines in it. If she let herself dwell on things like the Dementor incident she had to admit Harry wasn't all that horrible… so she refused to think about it.

She did notice changes in Dudley, the most pertinent of which was his clear preference to distance himself from Vernon. Petunia was forced to admit (because it affected her, after all) her fear that if Dudley wasn't forced to remain in their safe house with them, he seemed would take off and get as far away as possible.

Here's the thing about Petunia: she invested herself and her life into the Dursley World View, becoming exactly what Vernon wanted without complaint. (Ah, the foolish "I'll show you" choice of the most non-magical person she could find!) Accepting this to be the life she had chosen, she committed herself to it without complaint or second thought. It even seemed a rather wise choice when her sister and sister's husband were murdered by an evil wizard. She would have stayed unquestioningly in that course, in spite of the difficulties "raising" Harry presented.

But now the one born into the Dursley World View was questioning it with a rather serious intensity. He wanted as little to do with his parents as possible and his leaving seemed to only be a matter of time. When they left hiding, would Dudley leave them for good? So, Petunia was faced with a dilemma. What was more important to her: staying the course with the Dursley World View or keeping her son in her life? Petunia may be a woman of many faults, but indifference to her only child is not one of them! As Harry correctly guessed in the story, if she had to chose between her husband and her son, Vernon would lose by a mile.

Harry's defeat of Voldemort released the Dursleys from hiding in time for Dudley to take his A-levels and he did well - better than he would have if he'd returned to Smeltings for his final year. He was accepted at university and left early to find an off-campus flat and a part-time job so he had a good excuse to remain away from home during term breaks.

So, Dudley arrived at University a slightly better, if still somewhat socially inept person. He had a long way to go in terms of joining the human race, but he was on the right path. He was pretty sure he knew who he didn't want to be, but uncertain how to get to who he _did_ want to be. In addition, in spite of the questions of the last three years, he had many years hard training to be a git… and that's hard to shake. Fortunately he wound up associating with some exceptionally decent people who helped him along with his emotional re-education.

As you might have guessed, Sarah Collins was one of those people. She saw the essential decency passed along (if only in the genetic code) from the Evans side of his family tree and gave him a chance.

Vernon steadfastly ignored the changes in his son, but Petunia wisely made room for them, while careful not to disturb Vernon's point of view (bless her heart, that would have been a job, wouldn't it?). It was Petunia who smoothed things over when Sarah became pregnant during her and Dudley's final term at university, wisely encouraging Vernon to ignore the fact that pregnancy was why Dudley got married right after graduation.

The chasm between Dudley and his father grew as Dudley did, but Vernon steadfastly ignored it. Sarah and Dudley learned early on the best way to manage Vernon was to let him think what he wanted and to keep his visits short. Though she remained with Vernon and essentially committed to the Dursley World View (a commitment made less odious by the absence of Harry), Petunia's most important and truest allegiance was cemented with the birth of her first grandchild. When Petunia held William in her arms she knew nothing in the world would ever be more important to her.

Spending time over the years at her Son and daughter-in-laws home without Vernon (who, thankfully, had work commitments) allowed her to even show a few signs of the person she might have become with different choices. Don't get me wrong, she could still be quite revolting as a grandmother (see the opening lines of chapter one) and annoying as a mother-in-law. Still, her devotion to her grandchildren allowed her to re-discover her dormant decency.

She's still a bit too much beholden to appearances so she'll stick with Vernon **if** he doesn't force her to choose… fortunately she's learned to mange him.

And Dudley? He occasionally shows shades of the person he no longer wants to be (don't we all?) but he turned out to be a pretty decent chap… and an excellent father. After all, in case you hadn't noticed, Sarah wouldn't have it any other way. As Harry so artfully put it "she'd rip his guts out with her bare hands" if he wasn't… and who wants that?


End file.
